Computer operating systems commonly employ cursor-style navigation where a cursor shown on a display screen is controlled with a pointing device. FIG. 1 is a graphic illustration of a computer display screen in accordance with the prior art. Screen 100 includes icons 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112 that represent application, control, and utilities programs. Through the use of a pointing device, such as a computer mouse, a TrackPoint™, or a Trackpad™, a user moves cursor 114 around screen 100 to select and launch one or more programs.
Unlike computer operating systems, operating systems used with portable and handheld devices such as cell phones, digital music players, and personal digital assistants, typically use rocker-style navigation. With rocker-style navigation, a selection box is moved from one displayed item to an adjacently displayed item. For example, cell phone screen 200 in FIG. 2 includes icons 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112 and selection box 202. A user can move selection box 202 from icon 108 to icon 104, icon 106, or icon 112 through the use of a pointing device. One example of such a pointing device includes a 5-way navigation buttons.
Unfortunately, wheel-style and rocker-style navigation are not available with analog pointing devices. Analog pointing devices use an object the user moves with his or her finger or use the finger of the user to control a selection box or cursor on a display screen. For example, wheel-style and rocker-style navigation cannot be used with pointing devices such as slidepads, Trackpads™, and Trackpoints™. The pointing devices do not generate the necessary signals and the operating systems do not provide the functionality for wheel-style and rocker-style navigation.